FRECA: Rafael Camara paints Paul Ricard red with another pole position, Doriane Pin (Iron Dames) showed excellent form on the French track
The official session at Paul Ricard for the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine was anything but straightforward, taking place first in the wet and then in the dry. Leading the pack once again was championship leader Rafael Camara (Prema Racing), who clocked the fastest time in Group A with a 1:59.245. This marks the Brazilian’s eighth pole position in the series since last year, cementing the Ferrari Driver Academy driver as one of the fastest in qualifying.
The action kicked off this morning with Group B on a progressively wetter track. Michael Belov, who was also the fastest yesterday, secured the front row at the very last moment for the second time this weekend. Competing for the front row with the Trident ace was Tuukka Taponen (R-ace GP), who started posting impressive times with five minutes to go as the track began to dry. The Finnish driver ultimately secured the second fastest time of the session and the second row for the weekend’s final race, narrowly edging out Ugo Ugochukwu (Prema Racing) by less than two-tenths of a second. Doriane Pin (Iron Dames) showed excellent form on the French track, achieving her best qualifying position and securing the fourth row for Race 2. Completing the top 5 behind the French driver was Nikhil Bohra in MP Motorsport‘s car number 47.
In Group A, it was a three-way battle for pole between Camara, Brando Badoer (Van Amersfoort Racing), and Alessandro Giusti (ART Grand Prix). With a dry track and significantly faster times compared to earlier, the first to break the 2-minute barrier was the Williams Academy driver, provisionally taking the lead. Badoer then took the top spot, only to be overtaken by Giusti and finally by Camara. Badoer secured the second row at the last moment, with Giusti third and a fast Kanato Le (G4 Racing) as the top rookie in this group. Enzo Peugeot, driving for Sainteloc Racing, rounded out the top 5.
Rafael Camara – Prema Racing
“Fortunately, the rain stopped when we got on track. I managed to set the best time on my last lap, which was risky because there would be no second chance if I made a mistake. We managed everything well, securing a good lap at the end. As usual, the team did a really good job. We found the right gear after Mugello. Now we focus on the race where we aim to give our best.”
Michael Belov – Trident Motorsport
“I’m happy with this qualifying despite the difficult conditions and the wet third sector. Without making mistakes, I managed to stay ahead. The track began to dry out, giving me more confidence, and I was able to achieve this result.”
All eyes are now on the final race of the weekend, which will take place this afternoon at 16:25, lasting 30 minutes plus one lap.